Ninth Grade Academy Feature: Team Quest

Megan Ferguson ‘19 and Marina Belloli ‘19: Integrated into the 2018-2019 school year, the Ninth Grade Academy at Romeo High School keeps producing amazing results. Consisting of three teams, Quest, Discovery, and Expedition, the teachers and students alike reap the benefits of the new learning style. Directing students to a more individualized, student driven learning style, team Expedition consists of four teachers, Mr. Carlin, Ms. D’Orazio, Mr. LeBlanc, and Ms. deVaux.

Changing their approaches from the beginning of the year, the group of teachers plan to prepare students for entry into one of the three other academies.

“I think it [the Ninth Grade Academy] is going to prepare them really well. We are going on a number or business trips and career fairs. They are going to be to identify different things they are interested in to be able to look at the academies differently and how we plan things and how we should be looking in too,” LeBlanc said. “The way we are teaching this year, they are going to have a number of opportunities to have their [the other academies] curriculum infused with our curriculums to kinda give exposure to different academies. So it’s just a heads of how and what kind of careers we are looking at”

Through the new styles and approaches, the teaching group created their lesson plans with the idea in mind to make the learning experience more hands on and student based in order to create an environment where each student feels free to share their own ideas.

“We really just had to change our approach so it turned into being less teacher centered and more into them doing the work. They are really the ones doing all of the learning and we are just kind of here, if they go on the wrong path we kind of push them onto the right one,” Carlin said. “I’ve noticed that they think about it more instead of just getting the information from me and writing it down. They are actually coming up with their own ideas.”

Creating a student centered approach, the new environment and atmosphere in the classroom continues to push students and teachers alike in a positive direction towards their goals.

“I love being a freshman teacher. They are so ready to go and eager to learn,” LeBlanc said. “The cool thing about them is they still have that attitude of enjoying school and that they want to be here and we can kind of mold them, it’s easier to get them ready. The freshmen are so cool.”

The learning progresses and the Romeo High Freshman continue to strive towards a strong education.